“There’s no such thing as ‘Album of the Year’ – someone made that up”: Jacob Collier doesn’t mind that he didn’t win a Grammy for his album, Djesse Vol. 4This year, Jacob Collier added a seventh Grammy to his trophy shelf, bagging the award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, for Bridge over Troubled Water. His latest record, Djesse Vol. 4, was also up for Album of the Year – despite the fact it never even charted.
It’s Collier’s second time being nominated for Album of the Year, with 2021’s Djesse Vol. 3 also gaining recognition from the Academy. That record also didn’t make its way onto any charts. “I heard the other day that I’m the first artist in history to be twice nominated for Album of the Year without ever having charted,” he reveals on the A Bit of Optimism Podcast. “None of my albums have ever been on any chart.”

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That’s right – none of Collier’s records have ever charted. While Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4 lost out out to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, the musical madman considers his un-chartable sound to be a more prestigious badge of honour. “I’m personally deeply proud of this,” he grins. “It’s kind of a cool stat!”

When digging into 2024’s Djesse Vol. 4, it’s a smorgasbord of eclectic sounds. Opening track 100,000 Voices paints the picture perfectly: glistening soundscapes and ethereal choral majesty gradually morph into scratchy, tormented doom metal wails and howls. Throughout, Collier navigates his way between woozy pop, folk-y musing and pulsing synthetic dance beats.
However, Collier’s not going to try and adjust his musical approach to appease the masses. Elsewhere in the interview, he explains how the concept of ‘Album of the Year’ doesn’t make sense to him. “I mean, there’s no such thing as Album of the Year,” he says. “This is made up. Someone made that up. I’m deeply honoured to be included in the number alongside such luminaries. I’m not taking it too serious.”
“None of us really know what we’re doing, we’re just playing around,” he admits. “I don’t sit around thinking, you know, ‘I’m bloody brilliant’, so much as just, ‘What an interesting time to be Jacob,’ and, ‘What an interesting time to be making music’. Because I’ve made a very unconventional album that is deeply irreverent in many ways. And for it to be counted… it’s just kind of a thrill.”
While he might have missed out on Album of the Year, he still has seven Grammys to his name. During an INSIDE studio tour last year, Collier revealed that he uses said awards for recording purposes. “These Grammys here are not just useful for my ego, they’re also useful as agogo bells,” he said.

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